Alex Delaware
mystery
Series · mystery
Blackie Ryan
The Blackie Ryan series by Andrew M. Greeley has 18 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Happy Are the Meek (1985).
- Books
- 18 books
- First published
- 1985
- Status
- deceased
- Last checked
Start here: Happy Are the Meek (1985) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Happy Are the Meek
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Meek - Book 2:
Happy Are the Clean of Heart
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Clean of Heart - Book 3:
Happy Are Those Who Thirst for Justice
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are Those Who Thirst for Justice - Book 4:
Happy Are the Merciful
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Merciful - Book 5:
Happy Are the Peace Makers
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Peace Makers - Book 6:
Happy Are the Poor in Spirit
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Poor in Spirit - Book 7:
Happy Are Those Who Mourn
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are Those Who Mourn - Book 8:
Happy Are the Oppressed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happy Are the Oppressed - Book 9:
White Smoke
Alternative text for cover: Cover of White Smoke - Book 10:
The Bishop at Sea
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop at Sea - Book 11:
The Bishop and the Three Kings
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop and the Three Kings - Book 12:
The Bishop and the Missing L Train
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop and the Missing L Train - Book 13:
The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germain - Book 14:
The Bishop in the West Wing
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop in the West Wing - Book 15:
The Bishop Goes to the University
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop Goes to the University - Book 16:
The Bishop in the Old Neighborhood
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop in the Old Neighborhood - Book 17:
The Bishop at the Lake
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bishop at the Lake - Book 18:
The Archbishop in Andalusia
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Archbishop in Andalusia
About the Blackie Ryan series
Father John "Blackie" Ryan is a deceptively mild, owlishly bespectacled Chicago priest -- rector of a cathedral parish, later an auxiliary bishop and archbishop -- who solves murders among Chicago's Irish Catholic elite with a quiet, observational cunning that his unassuming manner tends to hide from suspects and colleagues alike. Andrew Greeley wrote eighteen Blackie Ryan novels over more than two decades, moving the character up through the Church hierarchy as the series progressed -- the earlier books use the recurring "Happy Are..." title format (drawn from the Beatitudes), while the later ones follow Blackie's promotions with titles built around "The Bishop..."
As with the rest of Greeley's fiction, the mysteries are inseparable from his interest in Catholic sociology and theology, Chicago's Irish-American community, and Vatican politics -- White Smoke (1996), for instance, imagines the inner workings of a papal conclave, with Blackie (by then a bishop) enlisted by his boss Cardinal Cronin to help navigate it, rather than a conventional murder case.
Frequently asked questions
How many Blackie Ryan novels are there?
Eighteen, published 1985-2008.
Why do the titles change partway through the series?
The early books use a recurring "Happy Are..." title pattern drawn from the Beatitudes; from The Bishop at Sea (1997) onward, titles shift to "The Bishop..." as the character is promoted within the Church hierarchy.
Is White Smoke part of the main Blackie Ryan numbering?
Yes -- it's a Blackie Ryan novel (he appears as Cardinal Cronin's aide during a papal conclave) published in 1996, between the two title-pattern eras; included here in publication order.
If you like the Blackie Ryan series
Reading order last verified .